Shipping traffic through Strait of Hormuz drops sharply amid security fears

Transit through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped to some of its lowest levels.

The decline follows an attack on a gas tanker carrying a Qatari shipment and two separate incidents involving tankers off the coast of Oman, amid escalating concerns about global energy supplies.

A report published by Bloomberg attributed the reduced traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to security fears among oil and gas tanker operators following recent attacks.

Additionally, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has instructed its enforcement units to return to the Omani route, a move that could further restrict traffic through the strait to extremely limited levels.

Hours after US President Donald Trump announced a major strike against Iran, he later spoke of halting operations following interventions by regional countries seeking to allow time for negotiations with Iran. However, Trump insisted that results must be achieved quickly.

Iran claims it is seeking full control and regulation of passage through the strait under Article Five of its memorandum of understanding with the United States. The US, however, argues that Iran is interpreting the clause too broadly, as it only provides for "transit arrangements" and does not grant Iran the right to control the strait.